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Title: Future aircraft and potential effects on stratospheric ozone and climate

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5110156

The purpose of this study is to extend the recent research examining the global environmental effects from potential fleets of subsonic and supersonic commercial aircraft. Initial studies with LLNL models of global atmospheric chemical, radiative, and transport processes have indicated that substantial decreases in stratospheric ozone concentrations could result from emissions of NO{sub x} from aircraft flying in the stratosphere, depending on fleet size and magnitude of the engine emissions. These studies used homogeneous chemical reaction rates (e.g. gas-phase chemistry). Recent evidence indicates that reactions on particles in the stratosphere may be important. Heterogeneous chemical reactions, for instance, N{sub 2}O{sub 5}and ClONO{sub 2} on background sulfuric acid aerosols, convert NO{sub x}(NO and NO{sub 2}) molecules to HNO{sub 3}. This decreases the odd oxygen loss from the NO{sub x} catalytic cycle and increases the odd oxygen loss from the Cl{sub x} catalytic cycle. By including these heterogeneous reactions in the LLNL model, the relative partitioning of odd oxygen loss between these two families changes, with the result that emissions of NO{sub x} from proposed aircraft fleets flying in the stratosphere now increase zone. Having these heterogeneous processes present also increases ozone concentration in the troposphere relative to gas-phase only chemistry calculations for emissions of NO{sub x} from subsonic aircraft. 26 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA); National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
5110156
Report Number(s):
UCRL-JC-108035; CONF-9110217-3; ON: DE92002164
Resource Relation:
Conference: 42. International Aeronautical Federation Congress (IAEFC), Montreal (Canada), 7-11 Oct 1991
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English